Quote from the other thread:
A cynical might think that moving the Russian driver to the b team after the Russian GP might have been somehow planned ahead?
An Inquisitive mind might think they changed mid-season and not before the start on purpose, not necessarily true but why change now:
- secondary but: promotion mid-season is a bigger story and part of the hype, people are simple and don't care about facts, if they promote him he must be good
- If he kept performing as he had had against Sainz which was comparable, sometimes one was slightly better sometimes the other selling him as "new whoever" would be more and more difficult.
- anything Verstappen does against Ricciardo will be OK (new car team excuse/reason) and the hype will resume, car will be better too which helps (tyres), competition smaller, easier to hide flaws in competitive no man's land behind top two.
Why not do this exchange before the season? Those four races changed absolutely nothing in assessment of their driving. Podium / first lap incident combo means nothing. See above, they noticed dwindling marketing interest. On track performance - the same but without rookie excuses and with new batch of childish behaviour - Australia.
About the contract thing, they go to MV and tell him here's contract extension 3 years TR or RB doesn't matter sign or good bye and he signs in 1 s. This switch is irrelevant to keeping him.